On Monday several members of the Algae Biomass Organization around the country are opening their doors for local and national officials to showcase the potential of the algae industry to provide local jobs, domestic fuels, and sustainable feed, food and other products.
The events stretch from Florida to Washington, and range from small briefings with local officials, to larger tours of laboratories and commercial facilities that include panel discussions among regional algae companies and research groups.
We are calling the campaign the Summer of Algae II, in deference to the milestones of 2009 that Biofuels Digest dubbed the first Summer of Algae. This year we have seen even more impressive milestones, and there is a growing demand for information about how algae can create drop-in biofuels and other products.
Keep reading to learn more about upcoming events.
Monday, August 20
The Summer of Algae kicks off in San Diego, with a joint event hosted by some of the biggest leaders in algae research and commercialization: The San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology at UC San Diego, Sapphire Energy, General Atomics, Synthetic Genomics, Cellana, and CleanTECH San Diego.
The day will begin in the morning, with a panel discussion by leaders at each hosting organization followed by a tour of the UC San Diego algae greenhouses and laboratories. After the discussion and tour, several partner s are also scheduling visits to their facilities in other locations.
Tuesday, August 21st
Following the kickoff to the Summer of Algae in San Diego, two events will be held August 21st. In Colorado, algae production systems provider Solix BioSystems, Inc. and the Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels will host a tour and presentation of the latest algae industry developments in that state for local and national officials.
In Minnesota, St. Cloud State University and Algaedyne will show off some of the Midwest’s latest algae research and commercialization efforts. University and company representatives will discuss technical approaches and emerging business-academic partnerships, followed by a tour of the St. Cloud State’s Fluid Dynamics Lab.
Monday, August 27th
The second week of the campaign begins at Algenol’s facilities in Bonito Springs, Florida. This tour promises to be one of the largest Summer of Algae events. In addition to local and national officials’ chance to see the company’s latest in using algae to produce ethanol, the company will also be hosting 50 local science teachers to tour the facility as part of its commitment to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) education.
Thursday, August 30
In Seattle, Washington, Matrix Genetics will be making an exciting announcement while they give officials a first-hand look at its groundbreaking research focused on producing renewable fuel and specialty chemicals derived from cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Aircraft manufacturer Boeing will also be on hand to discuss the importance of algae biofuels to the aviation industry, and the potential for a robust algae industry presence in the Northwest.
Additional events to be held over the next few months include Arizona State University in Arizona, Phycal in Ohio, BioProcess Algae in Iowa, and Duke Energy in Kentucky. We will keep you updated!
More information about the Summer of Algae II can be found in ABO’s press release.